Parental controls for your child's iPhone
RootLock lets you block apps, app categories and websites on your child's iPhone from your own phone. It's built on Apple's Family Controls, so rules are enforced by iOS on your child's device. You can filter the web, set downtime schedules for bedtime and school, lock their apps instantly, and approve requests for more time from a notification.
Updated October 27, 2026
What you can control
- Block apps and categories. Pick apps one by one, or whole categories like Games or Social, with Apple's own app picker.
- Block websites by adding them to your child's block list.
- Web filtering, two levels. Block adult content, or lock browsing down to only the sites you allow (up to 50).
- Schedules. Block chosen apps at set times, or turn on downtime to block everything except the essentials you pick, like Phone and Messages.
- Lock Devices. Pause your kids' apps right now, with a timer and a message.
- Requests and approvals. Your child can ask for more time from the block screen. Allow 15 minutes or an hour from the notification, and all blocking pauses for that time.
- Tamper alerts. Get a notification when your child tries the same blocked app 3 times in 10 minutes.
- Sign-out passcode. Signing out of RootLock on your child's phone needs the parent passcode.
How RootLock's parental controls work
RootLock uses Apple's Family Controls and Managed Settings, the same system behind Screen Time. When you block an app, your child's iPhone shows a block screen in place of the app. Because iOS enforces the rule, closing or force-quitting RootLock doesn't turn protection off.
App and website choices are stored as opaque Apple tokens. Our servers can't tell which apps your family blocks.
What RootLock's parental controls don't do
- It doesn't read messages, email or social media. For that, see Bark.
- It doesn't approve App Store purchases. Keep Apple's Ask to Buy on for that.
- It doesn't blur explicit images. Apple's Communication Safety does that.
- It can't block the Phone app, so your child can always call.
- It works on iPhone and iPad only, not Android.
Frequently asked questions
Can RootLock block apps on my child's iPhone?
Yes. RootLock blocks individual apps, whole app categories and websites on your child's iPhone, using Apple's Family Controls. You choose them from your own phone.
Can my child delete or turn off RootLock?
Signing out of RootLock requires the parent passcode, and blocking is enforced by iOS, so force-quitting the app doesn't stop it. You get a notification if your child keeps trying a blocked app.
Does RootLock filter websites?
Yes. Choose between blocking adult content and allowing only the websites you pick. You can also block specific sites.
Can I set a bedtime on my child's iPhone?
Yes. Create a downtime schedule for bedtime or school hours. During downtime everything is blocked except the essential apps you choose, and the Phone app always works.
$9.99 a month or $44.99 a year after the trial, for the whole family. iPhone and iPad, iOS 18.6 or later.